Northern Central Railroad Trail

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The Northern Central Railroad Trail is a rail trail that runs along an abandoned railroad corridor from Cockeysville, Maryland to the boundary with Pennsylvania.

It was formerly used by the Northern Central Railway, hence the name. At the Pennsylvania line, the NCR Trail becomes the York County Heritage Trail and continues to run into the city of York.

The Northern Central Railway, built in 1838, ran between Baltimore, Maryland and Sunbury, Pennsylvania and was one of the oldest rail lines in the country. Already in financial trouble, the Northern Central ceased operations in 1972, when Hurricane Agnes battered its bridges.

In the early 1980's when it was proposed to place the hike and bike trail in the place of the train tracks, a contentious battle raged between property owners and the state. The owners contended that the property was taken under eminent domain for the purpose of train tracks. The owners felt that once the property was no longer to be used for a train the property rights should revert to the previous land owners.

The state prevailed in its fight for the property and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources converted the corridor into a trail which opened to the public in 1984. Today, hundreds of people enjoy the trail daily by bicycle, foot and horse. The trail also provides boating and fishing access to the popular Gunpowder River and Loch Raven watershed.